Falling
by xLilly White
Summary: TifxSeph Oneshot, Tifa POV. Nibelheim flashback, at the Reactor, their love brutally dies.


Blood stains my trembling hands as I gaze upon the still form with wide, burgundy eyes, lip trembling as tears flowed freely down my pale face.

Fingers intertwined with his, I let a long howl of despair escape my lips, listening to the wailing echoes that rebounded off the mountain peaks.

I can't take this in. I look disbelievingly at his blood drips from my fingers, my palms crimson from when I tried to staunch his ugly, still bleeding wound. But I came too late for him…his eyes are rolled back into his head, mouth slightly open as a trickle of spit drips down his chin.

I watch him in helpless despair, cursing you. Cursing you as I hold his hand to my face one last time, for doing this to him. For doing this to me.

Why do you do this? Why? No amount of hate, or vengeance-seeking, could bring about this massacre… You burned down my village. You struck my father down with your blade, eyes as cold as its blood-stained steel. And you let my heart crumple and blacken, you let it die by your hands… Not that you care, right? Just another death to stack in the back your soulless mind, along with a million others.

I get shakily to my feet and set my glazed stare on your sword, which you planted unceremoniously into the earth beside my dad's bloody corpse. I look at it, the dark blood oozing down its cold, glowing metallic blade, the leather-bound handle worn after being swung so long in your hands.

Tears flow up from the crevice in my heart and leak relentlessly out of my eyes, and I give a wail as I slide my shaking fingers around the smooth hilt, feeling the warmth of your hands still lingering on the material.

I'm going to strike you down.

I don't care what might have happened in the past. I don't care that my heart bleeds and my eyes too, that my hands are shaking so much I can hardly keep a grip on your sword, I'm so scared, so confused. I don't care what you might have felt about me, or what remains of the shattered feelings I held so dearly for you.

I'm going to strike you down, end this tonight.

"Sephiroth…" I choke on your name, wrenching the blade from the ground in one fierce swipe. "SOLDIER…Shin-ra…" My eyes take in my father's mutilated body again, and I throw my arms outwards, screaming, "I HATE THEM ALL!"

And it's so true, because all I feel now is numb emptiness- the place that you had forced into my mind, you've robbed it back, and now I'm aching so much. I want to hate you, I really do. I want to hate you so badly.

I race up the steps of the cursed Mako reactor, my boots slipping, clanking noisily over the metal steps as I carry your heavy sword behind me, my fingers enveloping what little remains of your warmth on the hilt.

I want to hate you…

…so much…

Unable to breath because I'm crying so hard, I stride across the wonky pipes and clamber down lengths of coiled chains, the churning of the Reactor resounding numbly in my ears, your long Masamune hissing as it encounters numerous surfaces unintentionally.

Blood and tears merge together as both splatter ceaselessly on the rusty floor, and I stomp down on solid ground, running through a doorway to enter a chamber full of row after row of artificial pods.

I stop dead in my tracks, heart flumping down to the pit of my stomach.

_You're there_.

Your lengths of lustrous, silky silver hair billows in the churning gusts of air, ebony black trench coat hanging around your lean calves, both hands hanging at your sides as you stand triumphantly in front of a sealed door. There is a sign above it saying 'J.E.N.O.V.A' in bold, crimson letters. The blinking floor lights reflect on your shining pauldrons, and I suddenly realize that you're laughing, a deep, rumbling chuckle of a laugh.

Rage boils in the bottom of my stomach, and I clasp my other hand around your sword's hilt, taking a step towards you though I can hear every cell in my body screeching at me to drop the weapon, rush up to you and beg you with all my will to just come back to me, pride and dignity forgotten.

Why…why does it have to be this way? Why can't anyone tell me… ?

And then you're lifting your arms, muscles bunching under the dark leather sleeves, light glinting off your metal gauntlets. Your deep baritone of a voice that used to be so smooth and seductive now has a harsh, cold edge to it as it escapes your smiling lips.

"Mother," you say, "I've come to see you. Please, open this door."

What is this? You told me your mother died at childbirth! I watch you through disbelieving, incredulous eyes, trying so hard to see what's going on in your suddenly deluded mind. Does the man I love no longer reside within that head? When did you decide to throw _us_ away to make way for this insane persona craving bloodlust? _Why did you kill me?_

"Sephiroth!" I scream in anguish, refusing to let you hear my voice brake. "H-how could you! The townspeople…my father… how could you?" Even I can hear the tremor in my voice, and despite my anger I feel myself flush. I hate showing you that I'm so weak. I hate showing you that I'm dying, knowing that you're probably mocking me with your heartless mind.

_I hate you_.

Anything that we might have had…anything we did…it's all so painstakingly insignificant now. I see you tense as you hear my stammering voice, and I can just imagine that hateful smile tug at your lips.

I run in blind fury up the steps, tripping over practically all of them, readying your cursed sword behind me, crystalline droplets of tears hanging in the air in my wake, and as I reach you, you slowly turn around, eyes darting to catch my tearful gaze as your face comes into the blaze of the lights.

Those eyes…they burn with a cold emerald flame of anger, so different from all the other times when you looked at me, tender, beautiful glowing pulses of turquoise beauty, whereas now I almost wince as you glare at me, thin silver strands of hair tumbling over your pale, ironically angelic face.

My own eyes widen as our gazes lock- _I can't believe this –_ with all the strength I possess I heave your blade up and prepare to strike you down.

I-I hate you! I hate you _so much_!

A ghost of a smile flickers across your handsome face as you eye my actions infuriatingly calmly, and you draw up a hand to stop me in my furious advance. The blade clashes and grinds metallically with your gauntlet, and for a moment we're so close that my flaring breaths brush against your shadowed face, and my flying dark brown locks meddle with your long snowy hair. My knees buckle under the effort of sustaining the sword- my eyes flash as I see your arm is barely shaking, and my legs collide with your own, and we're so close, I feel your body heat radiating over my bare legs, feel your calm breaths on my tingling neck, your billowing hair teasing at the sensitive skin of my waist.

You're looking at me softly, almost mockingly, and if you bowed your head a little more you could press those sensual lips against mine, and persuade me that it's not really the end of my pointless existence, that you still need me…that you still…

I haven't realized that my mouth is slightly open, my eyes watering as I watch your expression endlessly, bathing in your unique scent as I stupidly let myself believe in fairytales… You simply raise one elegant, arched eyebrow and slide your gloved fingers smoothly around my clasped fists, heartlessly teasing me with your soft, tender touch.

I wish I could see some kind of feeling in those glittering gem-like eyes. I wish you would suddenly see reason, standing so close to me, feeling me so near to you. But you don't care, do you? You're completely indifferent…like when you killed Dad…

I know it's of no use to plead. But why can't you come back to me? _Why_? Is life so cursedly unfair?

Warmth seeps into my legs as your trenchcoat discreetly surrounds us both like obscure wings, and you take up your sword, unclasping my feeble hands from it as easily as anything. Our gaze is still unwavering, you're burning through me with those cold, flaming eyes…

But you don't care any more, do you?

Whatever I might think, whatever I might feel, you're completely indifferent.

…Right?

_I wish it weren't so_. I wish it so hard, I'm sure you can hear me.

But…you can't, can you?

I watch in utter disbelief as you shift your gaze, the smile leaving your lips as you bring down your blade.

_SLASH_

…I feel nothing.

I'm…smiling at you. Your beautiful eyes are on me again, and I wish I could see them, to see what expression inhabits their glowing turquoise depths. Is it regret? Remorse? Is it…the wound of a broken heart?

I hope so.

At least…that's what I hope you saw in my own gaze, behind the veil of tears.

…that's strange.

I feel…cold.

Can't you embrace me with those strong, secure arms, and make me warm again? Make me whole again? Can't you do that?

…I guess you can't.

I see you frozen in that graceful, feline position- your slightly crouching, your sword held down so that its whetted tip is grazing the floor, blood dripping from it slowly, but surely.

There's a splatter of blood across your handsome face, and your fluttering silver hair is stained by unholy dark crimson, such a stark contrast between the two colours.

I wonder…is that…my blood?

And then I'm flying, falling through nothingness, arms out limply and head bent back, feeling the air rush past my face and drying my tears as I fall back endlessly.

_Sephiroth…_

I'm falling…

_Why aren't you…catching me…?_


End file.
